Best Basic Risotto Recipe

How to make an awesome risotto

Have a basic risotto recipe in your cooking arsenal and you will always feel confident in the kitchen. It's something you can go to again and again, employing different ingredients (mushrooms one day, asparagus and cheese the next), plating fish over it, and using leftovers to make rice balls to enjoy later or to use in other, more complicated recipes.

Making an awesome risotto doesn't take any special techniques or crazy knife skills, just focus and determination. Equipment-wise you'll need a heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven, a sturdy spatula, a ladle, a pot for heating the broth, and enough arm strength to win the occasional arm-wrestling match.

Follow our recipe and these tips:

Always use hot stock for best results.

Cook over low heat, stirring frequently. Yes, we know you are supposed to stir constantly, but the truth is that you just want to keep the grains moving enough that they don't stew in the liquid. Frequently, or slightly more than occasionally is just fine. The whole process should take 20-30 minutes. Any more than that and you're in trouble.